Kraaifontein police face vehicle shortages and intelligence gaps in crime battle

A shortage of operational police vehicles, weaknesses in crime intelligence and mounting pressure on frontline officers are undermining the fight against violent crime in Kraaifontein.

This was revealed during an oversight visit by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde at the area’s police station.

Winde said residents were frustrated by persistently high crime levels, warning that resource constraints and infrastructure challenges at the Kraaifontein SAPS precinct were directly affecting police response times, morale and service delivery.

“The residents of Kraaifontein are understandably concerned and frustrated by the impact of violent crime on their daily lives. Through these oversight visits, I want to engage directly with priority SAPS precinct leadership to ensure that everything is being done to tackle crime head-on,” said Premier.

“These engagements are about taking the concerns of residents to SAPS leadership and ensuring that every possible intervention is explored to improve safety and protect our residents.”

Official SAPS crime statistics underscore the scale of the challenge facing the precinct. Kraaifontein ranked 16th nationally for 17 community-reported serious crimes between April and June 2025, recording 1 477 cases, placing it among South Africa’s most crime-affected policing areas despite a year-on-year decline of 10.4%.

The station also remains a hotspot for violent crime. During the same three-month period, Kraaifontein recorded 773 contact crimes, including murder, attempted murder, assault and robbery. While this reflected a 5.5% decrease compared to the previous year, the precinct still ranked seventh nationally for contact crimes.

Murder levels, though slightly down, remain high. The precinct recorded 42 murders between April and June 2025, ranking 15th nationally for the offence, according to SAPS data.

The visit forms part of a provincial oversight programme targeting high-crime precincts across the Western Cape. During his engagement with station leadership and officers, Winde was briefed on violent, property-related and gang-linked crime trends, as well as the pressure these place on personnel and resources.

Key challenges highlighted during the visit included a shortage of operational vehicles, the need for improved use of crime intelligence and technology, and concerns around the effective functioning of the local Community Policing Forum.

Winde said he would raise policing capacity and resourcing issues with acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia during engagements scheduled for early next month, stressing that crime prevention was critical to economic growth and community stability.

South African Communist Party (SACP) Provincial Secretary and spokesperson for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Benson Ngqentsu called the visit a political visit.

"Premier Alan Winde’s visit to the Kraaifontein police station has little to do with genuinely evaluating police capacity. Instead, it serves to advance a narrow, egocentric political agenda—specifically the devolution of police powers," he said.

"This is an agenda he is likely to intensify when he opens the Provincial Legislature in February 2026. We should be deeply concerned about leaders who prioritise narrow party interests over the real needs and safety of our people."

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